Goldman Environmental Prize Blog

In the guest blog below, 2006 Goldman Prize winner Silas Siakor describes how across Africa, corporations are grabbing community land and water – and nowhere more than in Liberia, where half the country has already been allocated to foreign investors. But one community has shown it’s possible to overcome intimidation, organise and resist. Right now…

Using a clause in the state constitution that gives municipalities the right to make local land use decisions, 2014 Goldman Prize winner Helen Slottje provided pro-bono legal assistance, helping towns across New York defend themselves from oil and gas companies by passing local bans on fracking. In the Q&A below, Slottje tells us how she…

We sit down with 2014 Goldman Prize winner Rudi Putra to discuss his work to dismantle illegal palm oil plantations that are causing massive deforestation in northern Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, in order to protect the habitat of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino. How did your dedication to protecting the Sumatran rhino inspire you to take action against…

2014 Goldman Prize winner Ramesh Agrawal answers our questions about how he organized villagers to demand their right to information about industrial development projects and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest proposed coal mines in Chhattisgarh. How has the coal industry impacted the environment of Chhattisgarh and the lives of its people? Chhattisgarh…

2014 Goldman Prize winner Desmond D’Sa answers our question about how he rallied south Durban’s diverse and disenfranchised communities to successfully shut down a toxic waste dump that was exposing nearby residents to dangerous chemicals and robbing them of their constitutionally protected right to a safe and clean environment. How did you first get inspired…

2014 Goldman Prize winner Suren Gazaryan, an internationally recognized bat expert and zoologist, answers our questions about the multiple campaigns he led to expose government corruption and illegal exploitation of federally protected forestland along Russia’s Black Sea coast. What motivated you to campaign against the illegal palaces and land grabs in the Krasnodarregion?  While I…

We sat down with 2014 Goldman Prize winner Ruth Buendia for a Q&A on her work to unite the Asháninka people in a powerful campaign against large-scale dams that would have uprooted indigenous communities still recovering from Peru’s violent civil war. Can you describe the landscape and culture of the Ene River Valley, and your…

The 2014 Goldman Prize ceremony in Washington, DC took place on Wednesday, April 30 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Despite the rainy weather, hundreds of people turned out to support and celebrate the 2014 Goldman Prize recipients. Barbara Harrison returned for her ninth year as Master of Ceremonies for the event.…

The 25th annual Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony took place on Monday, April 28, 2014 at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, followed by a reception at City Hall. Nearly 4,000 guests were inspired and motivated by the courageous stories of the 2014 Goldman Prize recipients: Desmond D’Sa from South Africa; Ramesh Agrawal from India; Suren Gazaryan…

Congratulations to the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize recipients: Desmond D’Sa, South Africa: Desmond D’Sa rallied south Durban’s diverse and disenfranchised communities to successfully shut down a toxic waste dump that was exposing nearby residents to dangerous chemicals and robbing them of their constitutionally protected right to a safe and clean environment. Ramesh Agrawal, India: With…